Art New England
by Robyn Day
September 2013
…Any discussion of photography in New England must praise the two big hitters on the scene, both nonprofits. The Griffin Museum in Winchester, MA (with three galleries and four satellites in contiguous towns) and the Boston-based Photographic Resource Center (PRC) are each dedicated exclusively to the art of photography. Through an exhaustive schedule of exhibitions and educational programs, they serve as hubs for the artistic community, expanding access to and cultivating appreciation for the photographic arts. Together, they jointly sponsor the New England Portfolio Reviews (NEPR), an opportunity for photographers to meet directly with curators and gallerists one-on-one. Since its founding in 1975, the PRC has encouraged the development of a community of artists. Joined in 1992 by the Griffin, they provide a bulwark of support for photographers from New England. “The Griffin is an organization where the emerging, emerged, and collector can stand together,” explains Paula Tognarelli, Griffin executive director and curator since 2002. The Griffin’s democratic platform insists on satisfying every photographic aesthetic—from photojournalism through the range of fine art—making them all credible. This is an atypical position in the field…